Organic is becoming an increasingly important part of the food supply, and coffee is no exception. But which organic coffee to choose from the plethora on offer? We detail what you need to know about the specifics of organic coffee.
Discover its particularities and typicities to know how to choose an organic coffee that matches your desires and tastes.
The difference between coffee and organic coffee: advantages and disadvantages
What is an organic coffee?
An organic coffee is a coffee grown using organic farming methods.
This method of producing organic coffee follows strict standards:
- cultivation practices that respect natural balances
- exclusion of synthetic chemicals, GMOs and limited inputs: it is grown on land that has been free of traces of these products for 5 years
- organic coffee beans, once harvested, must not be mixed with non-organic beans: they are therefore also roasted separately
- organic coffee is at least 95% organic beans.
What does organic coffee taste like?
While its taste doesn’t differ drastically from traditional coffee, organic coffee has the advantage:
- a more natural method of production (important, especially when you consume a lot of it)
- more environmentally-friendly cultivation.
Organic coffee: price
Organic coffee has a higher price than conventional coffee, because its cultivation has a lower yield. You can expect a 25% to 40% difference between organic and non-organic coffee.
If you’re on a tight budget and want to consume organic coffee, one way to compensate for a higher price is to drink fewer cups throughout the day or modify the dosage.
Organic or fair-trade coffee: definition, differences
Organic and fair trade are two different concepts. Organic is defined by production and harvesting processes that follow strict standards in terms of respect for the environment and without synthetic chemicals.
A coffee is said to be fair trade if it has been purchased at a fair price that properly remunerates the work of the producers.
Organic coffee is not necessarily fair trade.
What form does organic coffee come in?
You can choose between organic ground coffee, beans, pods or soluble.
You can select the grind of the organic coffee according to your machine (fine, medium, coarse). In short, there’s something for every coffee maker and every taste.
How to use organic coffee?
To make a quick answer… the organic coffee is used just like the traditional version.
It can be used to make espresso coffee, filter coffee, coffee in capsules, to use a piston or Italian coffee maker…
As for gourmet recipes, you can reproduce all the ones you like with organic coffee: latte, , amaretto, irish coffee… only one limit: your imagination!
There you have it, you’re now all set to choose your organic coffee with full knowledge of the facts.
